Method of making artificial hands and replicas of other objects



y 1950 H. GlLLMAN 2,508,156

OF MAKING ARTIFICIAL METH HANDS AN EPLICAS OF OTHER OBJECTS Filed May 20, 1948 INVENTOR. HARRY GILLMAN Patented May 16, 1950 METHOD OF MAKING ARTIFICIAL HANDS AND REPLICAS OF OTHER OBJECTS Harry Gillman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application May 20, 1948, Serial No. 28,193

6 Claims. (Cl. 18-475) This invention relates to the making of replicas of various objects.

The invention has been made with the idea particularly of providing a novel and valuable method of making artificial hands; but it is to be understood that the invention may be used not only for the making of replicas of various parts of the human body, as, for instance, the production of hands, arms, legs, feet and other anatomical parts for manikins, dolls, etc., but also for making replicas of other solid or hollow objects of various kinds and for various purposes.

However, in exemplification of the invention, the same will be described in detail as employed for the making of an artificial hand.

According to the invention, an actual human hand is coated with a. liquid material which may be applied as a thin film all over the hand, and which is capable of air drying, as for example, latex. When said coating, obtained as by dipping the hand into a bath of said material has dried, it is rolled off the hand so that incidental to its removal from the hand, it is turned inside out.

The sac thereby provided, and still in its inside out condition, is packed with a suitable filler material, as raw cotton, sawdust or any other fibrous or otherwise suitable material; this packing being under suflicient compactness to distend the sac to establish a reproduction of the contours of the hand, but, of course, now with localized external projections carried by the stuffed sac which correspond to the wrinkles and other surface indentations of the actual hand. The product thus obtained is invested in a so-called refractory, as plaster of Paris or the like. When this last-named material has hardened, to provide an inflexible mold reproducing in reverse the contours of the stuffed sac, the stuffed sac is taken out of the mold cavity which it established in said last-named material; and by use of the mold thereby obtained a metal casting is made.

This casting now constitutes a solid replica of the actual hand, but in reverse as above, in conformity with the contours of said mold cavity.

Said casting now may be repeatedly used, as the actual hand was used as explained above, to make an artificial hand comprising a sac of latex or the like, and a suitable filler; that is, to make an artificial hand, in the case of each such hand made by use of said casting as part of the method, by coating the casting with latex or the like, allowing such coating to dry, rolling the resulting sac oi! the casting so that when removed the For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

h Fig. 1 is a perspective view, showing a natural and.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, showing the sac produced by coating the hand as aforesaid, and, after such coating has dried, by rolling it off the hand thereby to have the sac in inside-out condition.

With Figs. 3-11 showing all the successive steps in the method, and, in order to simplify the drawing and condense the description, with the method illustrated as performed in regard to a portion merely of a. single finger:

Figs. 3 and 4 are elevational views, showing, respectively, said finger portion before being dipped into the coating material, and said finger portion with its coating added.

Fig. 5 shows the sac resulting from said coatin pulled off the finger andinside out.

Fig. 6 shows the sac of Fig. 5, with a filler added.

Fig. '7 shows the filled sac of Fig. 6 invested in a refractory material as aforesaid, the latter shown in section.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view, showing the metal casting as made by aid of the mold produced from said refractory material.

Fig. 9 is an elevational view of said casting, removed from the mold.

Fig. 10 shows said casting coated with latex or the like to provide a sac-in-reverse for the artificial finger, such sac shown in section.

Fig. 11 shows said sac as rolled oil the castin and thereby turned inside out, and as now distended with a filler, to provide a replica of the finger of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, an actual hand, such as the hand l5 of Fig. 1, is dipped fingers down into a bath of latex or the like. If the hand is that of a male, and hairy, powdered talc or the like is dusted over the hirsute areas, to prevent embedding of hair in the coating. This coating, as well also as the various other similar coatings used later on in the method, is preferably of almost filmlike thinness; in which connection is may be explained that these coatings" as illustrated in various views of the drawing are much exaggerated in thickness, to keep the draw-' ing as clear as possible.

Following a dipping of the hand It intosaid bath, the coating is allowed to dry. Then the coating is pulled off the hand, being thereby turned inside out to provide a sac l6, seen in Fig. 2, and characterized by the location at the outside thereof of various projections, as at H, l8, l9 and 20, these respectively corresponding to depressions in the contour of the hand I5 as indicated at l1, l8, l9 and 2D in Fig. 1.

A clear understanding of how, by the production of the sac |B, and by the subsequent steps of the method, there is finally obtained one or more artificial hands each exactly like the hand l5, will be had from the following detailed description, in terms of the natural finger 2| shown in Fig. 3, of exactly in what manner the method of the invention is practiced.

Said finger 2|, nai1-end lowermost, is dipped into the bath of latex or the like, so that when the finger is lifted from the bath the finger has the coating 22 of Fig. 4.

, The coating 22, after being allowed to dry, is rolled off the finger 2|, being thereby turned inside out, to produce the sac 23 of Fig. 5.

The sac 23-is then stuffed with a suitable filler 24, of the kind already indicated, until, as shown in Fig. 6, the sac is fully distended, but without stretching.

Next, using the product of Fig. 6 as a pattern, the sameis'invested in the aforesaid refractory material as shown at 25 in Fig. 7.

Referring to Fig. 8, this material 25, after set ting, provides a mold 25 having a moldin cavity 26 reproducing faithfully all the localized special recesses, amon others the recesses 21, 28, 29 and 30, which correspond to the localized projections, among others the projections 21 28 29 and 3|) corresponding respectively to said recesses 21, 28, 29 and 30, on the product of Fig. 6; these projections 21 28% 29 and 30 it will be noted, being the projections which, left on the outside of the sac 23 of Fig. 5, are the same projections as were on the inside of said sac with the latter still on the finger 2| in Fig. 4, and which said projections 21*, 28 29 and 30 resulted from adherence of the coating 22 at, respectively the finger wrinkles 21, 28 and 29 and the finger-nail point 30 of the finger 2 I.

Following the setting of the material 25 to establish the mold 25 with its molding cavity 26, as in Fig. 8, the product of Fig. 6 is taken out of said cavity after removal from the sac 23 of enough of the filler 24 to allow easy freeing of the sac.- The mold 25' is now ready for. the making of the aforesaid casting.

In 8, said casting, marked 3!, is shown in the mold 25.; the desired metal for the making of said casting having been poured in molten condition into the cavity 26 at the end thereof left open, as at 32.

Then the mold 25' is broken, to free the casting 3|; such freed casting being seen in Fig. 9.

The casting 3| is now available for repeated use, as many times as desired, and each time to make the artificial finger 33 shown in Fig. 11, which will be found to be a minutely detailed faithful replica of the actual finger 2| of Fig. 3.

Each such artificial finger is made by dipping the casting 3| into a bath such as was used to obtain the coating 22 of Fig. 4 on the actual finger 2|; lifting said finger out of the bath and allowin such coating to dry into the sac 34 of Fig. then rolling said sac off the casting 3 thereby turning the sac inside out, thus, faithfully reproducing the superficies of the finger 2|.

even as to all the wrinkles of the latter as to the finger nail and all nail-attending formations; and stuffing the sac 34, as was stuffed the sac 23 or otherwise, thereby to complete the artificial finger in regard to proper rotundities and all contours in addition to said wrinkles and formations.

Each artificial finger thus made may finally be colored as desired, in any way desired, in agreement with the colorations of the natural finger.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A method of making a replica of an object, consisting in making a reverse casting of the object to have projections where the object has recesses, coating the casting with a layer of latex to form a hollow sack, turning the sack inside out while stripping it off the casting, stufiing the sack while inside out, making a hollow mold of the stuffed sack, removing the sack from the mold, filling the mold with molten material from which the replica is to be made, allowing the molten material to harden, and removing the replica from the mold.

2. A method of making a replica of an object, consisting in making a reverse casting of the object to have projections where the object has recesses, dipping the casting in a bath of latex, removing the casting from the bath, allowing the latex which adheres to'the casting to harden to form a hollow sack, turning the sack inside out while stripping it off the casting, stuffing the sack while inside out, making a'hollow mold of the stuffed sack, removing the sack from the mold, filling the mold with molten material from which the replica is to be made, allowing the molten material to harden, and removing the replica from the mold.

3. A method of making a replica of an object, consisting in making a reverse casting of the object to have projections where the object has recesses, coating the casting with a layer of latex to form'a hollow sack, turning the sack inside out, while stripping it off the casting, stuffing the sack while inside out, inserting the stuffed sack into a mass of refractory material, packing the refractory material about the stuffed sack, allowing the refractory material to harden to form a hollow mold, removing the sack from the mold, filling the mold with molten material from which the replica is to be made, allowing the molten material to harden, and removing the replica from the mold.

' l. A method of making a replica of an object, consisting in'making a reverse casting of the object to have projections where the object has recesses, coating the casting with a layer of latex to form a hollow sack, turning the sack inside out while stripping it off the casting, stuffing the sack while inside out, making a hollow mold of the stuffed sack, removing some of the stufiing from the sack to permit it to be collapsed, collapsing said sack and removing it from the mold, filling the mold with molten material from which the replica is to be made, allowing the molten mate'- rial to harden, and removing the replica from the mold. a

5. A'method of making a replica of an object, consisting in making a reverse casting of the object to have projections where the object has recesses, coating the casting with a layer of latex to form a hollow sack, turning the sack inside out while stripping it off the casting, stufling the sack while inside out, inserting the stuffed sack into a mass of refractory material, packing the refractory material about the stuffed sack, allowing the refractory material to harden to form a, hollow mold, removing some of the stuffing from the sack to permit it to be collapsed, collapsing said sack and removing it from the mold, filling the mold with molten material from which the replica is to be made, allowing the molten material to harden, and removing the replica from the mold.

6. A method of making a replica of an object, consisting in making a reverse casting of the object to have projections where the object has recesses, dipping the casting in a bath of latex, removing the casting from the bath, allowing the latex which adheres to the casting to harden to form a hollow sack, turning the sack inside out while stripping it off the casting, stufling REFERENCES CITE!) The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,351,789 Rowley Sept. '7, 1920 2,152,311 Jacobson Mar. 28, 1939 2,453,604 Tenenbaum et 2.1. ..1. Nov. 9, 1948 

